Improved clothes-wringer



' UNITED STATES N. A. RHOADSgOF WATERBURY, VERMONT.

IMPROVED CLOTH ES-WRINGER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,646, dated March 11,1862.

To all 'whom it. may concern: 1

Beitknown that I, N. A. RHoADs, of Waterbury, in the county of Washington and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes Wringersg and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in

Figure l is a longitudinal section through the machine, taken in the vertical plane indicated by the red line z zin Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is la horizontal section through Fig. 3, as indicated by the red line :c 0c thereon. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through Fig. 1, taken in the vertical plane indicated by red line y y thereon.

and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Y A A represent two uprights, which are braced together by transverse rods a ct a., so`

as to form al strong quadrangular frame for containing and supporting the wringing and clamping apparatuses. Y

B B are two iron shafts, which have their bearings in journal-boxes h Z) c c. One end of shaft B passes through a vertical slot d, made through one of the uprights and receives on its end a hand-crank C, by means of which .this shaft B is turned in operating the machine. f The journal-boxes b b c c are let into vertical grooves e c, in which grooves these boxes are allowed to have a free vertical play, so that the shaft B while preserving its parallelism with shaft B, may at the same time be moved farther from this shaft as occasion requires. The shaft B is made with grooves, ribs, serrations, or longitudinal projections of any suitable description on its surface, and

on this surface a rubber roller D is formed in the usual manner of putting rubber rollers on shafts. The india-rubber being put on such a shaft, it will be readily seen that all liability of this rubber working loose on the shaft is eectually prevented. Arubberroller D surrounds the upper shaftB,which may be of the same or of a greater diameter than the lower roller D, and this latter roller D may be put on a shaft constructed, as described, for the lower roller; but as this upper roller D is less liable to'become loose on its shaft than the roller D the shaft B may have a smooth surface. The proper construction of these two indiarubber rollers is important, and it is desired to so construct them that the articles which are passed between them should be squeezed uniformly, whether there be a greater or less bulk inthe middle than at the ends of these rollers. For this purpose the surfaces of the two rubber rollers D and D taper from their ends to their middle, so that they are smaller in diameter in the middle than at their ends, as shown in Figs. l and 3 ofthe drawings. The peripheries of these two rollers D D will thus touch each other at and near their ends; but a space will be left between the two rollers D D at and near the f middle thereof, through which the greatest bulk of articles will pass as they are submitted to the action of the rollers. Theends of the upper roller D rest on the ends of the lower roller, and the upperroller, with its shaft B', is rotated in its bearings bythe rolling friction of the lower roller.

India-rubber springs g g are placedon the boxes b h ingrooves e e, and on these blocks of rubber g g the ends of a transversev bar G rest. Above this transverse bar G a shaft H is arranged, having its upward bearings against the stationary blocks h h. This shaft Il is furnished with a lever or handle la, Aand. on each end of the shaft is a cam-shaped enlargement Z, as shown in Figs. l and 3 of the drawings. Cams ZZ are faced with metal, and

the ends of the bar G are also faced with metal, as represented in Fig. 1. These cams Z Z are used to increase or to diminish the pressure on the articles passed between the rollers D D', and also to allow large or small articles to be passed between these rollers D D, and to give the required pressure to either. The required pressure on the articles is 0btained almost instantly by raising or depress:

ing the handle la, which operation rocks the cam-shaft H and brings the cams Z l in the desired position, and while the articles are passing between the rollers D D thepressure can be regulated as the articles increase or diminish in bulk. p

It will be understood that the cams Z Z do not lift the upper roller D. This roller is raised by the articles passed between. the rollers when the cams Z Z are in such a position as will allow the journal-boxes b b to rise.

An important advantageA results from the employment and particular arrangement of the bar G, with reference to thefsp'rings g g, the canisl Z, and the shaft H, and leve-r or handle la, as the said bar' by suclr not only becomes useful as a stop for the handle' and asa bearingA for. the can1s-,but it servesto so connect the two springs as to prevent either from crippling orbending laterally, aswell asbeing thrown out-oi? place under theupward pressure; of. the rollerejpurnal under it. p B'esides",i-t enables the journals of the shaizr'ty to be arrangedl directly over thesprings, Arespectiyelm and' tor have theA car-ns` placedi next to and betweenL suchjournals.V

@nl` oneY sideof the' roller-carrying frame A- A, and pivoted at if o' tothez'irprights of said framegis: a clampingtrarne l, consisting of` two' parallel clamping-bars, ai transverse bar lmand a rockingcam-shaft E. This fram'eris pivote'd toaramey A by' adjusti'ngscrews` at whichapassithrouglrtap eringholes thro ugh theparal'lel bars of' fram-e: JA andi allow these harsto rocklfongitudinally, and theclampin-g of' the machineto a tufb, barrel',` or box is effected'. by means: of' ther shaftr K,- carrying camslI E on its ends-which wi'lllforceV the up- ,endsi inwardy This camshaft alone will@ answerfor` clamping' the: maehi'nef to tubs', die., of` any ordinary size;4 but in tnfbs* where the stayesare unusually'tlii'ck `the screws atil i maybe?setfarth'er'outthus'in'creasingthe distancefbetweentheflowerA ends of the uprights A. and those of` therframe: J. The lower edges of the clamping ends of thefrarnes-A and .T are beveled,as represented inf Fig: 2' of tliei drawings-,to accommodate Vthelnf to; the

Vcurvatureof' the tub,

IlV is;` a= transverse-rockfshaftzcarrying on its ends? twobeveled` cams or'eccentricsjrV p and hayingiitsbearinrgsi in the: lowerends of: up?- a cylindricalsurfa'ce and arranged on two E cones applied toa shaftand in such manner that their lesser basesmay'be nexttoieach othery the elastic" covering ot them being thicker i'n-` the middle: than @ends-. buit rights This shaftis rocked by handile "llgfandl itimaybe: used either in conjunction with the-camshaft l-I for." clalnrpinfgf themachinetotlretuborit may beused independently of. this carni-shaftV and with the` ratn'erl,

secured rigidly to the frame A A. The: eccentricspipare forced hard againsttlrefout.- i sidero thetucbwhenth'eforlred endsoi' the .machine-are"placed'-` astride of: the edgeY cli' the tub, andiV the machine' is thusV rigidly' clamped ter the tub;i p i Y Ine using the abovedes'cribed machine the screws' at'. are. adjustediuntil' the edge: of the tub will pass between the lower ends of upright-s A A and those-of frame J, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3 ofthe drawings; The cam-shaft K is then turned, and the camsI I act against theuprights A A and force the lower ends of frame J hard against the outside of the tub and clamp the machine to the'tub rigidly.` The rollers Dr 1) now project over the inside of the tub, so that water which is twrungfrom' the articles passed between these rollers will run back into the tub. The wet ,articles are now taken up `one at a time, if -fthey belarge, and passed between the rollers 'D D', these rollers being turned in the direction indicated by the arrows inflslig.,` 3;l As `thefarti'cles are passed" one' at altilm'e between A the rollers-the pressu'reon the upper roller D" is regulated according to" theyarying; buik of the articles by working" the cams L Z onfshaft H. D uringj therop eration ofi wringing? the"y opturns the rollers D' D1 with one hand@ hecan regulate the pressure With the other;u y

lft will be secnthat duri-ng the' opcrationof the rubber rollers; D` D uponV the articles passedr betweenthematherewilt belapressure uponf eVery'part-ot th'e article between the rollers in consequence of the peculiar Aslrape i given to them,3 while with". cylindrical or E` straight rubber rollersthe articles will" be acted upon only Where their greatestfbulk occurs-viz"., inthe middle ot the rollers-#and the ends of such rollersv have'Verylittle,. if` any,

squeezing circo-t. Thereore theirollersmade Vso asto` taper toward?,` the* middle of their i length are: considered aszagreat improvement upon'the'cylindrica i rubber rollerswlrichdrave Y h-ithertonbeen" used.n perends ofl frame`4 J outward andI theflower A its eccentrica' p when` combinedand arranged with thefraineA and the jawltrarne J and its camlned shaft K, co-operatefw-ith Iithe said framed anfdiits clanipi-ng.v devices in i more@ eftectxrally' iiastening; the wringing-'machine to a tubg-fo-r'when the frame J ist'orced against the; tubE only thef lower: arms of such frame-wilt be moved in contact with tlreftub'; lout'by mean-s of thecamspthe upperparts and tire-whole lower surface-fof' the jaws of the frame J may be broughtuptobear'iirnrly against the: tub,` the cams p p acting against "ftheinner surface of the tub.

l Wouldfurtlie-r' observe that; the shafft L I` dol-not claim an elast-ie: roller madievwith ati either otl its' warm-e i.. Asl arr improvement cifothes-wringing machine' provided with elastici rollersythe 1 construction ot either' orr botlroii sucjlr roiiers, j or,- .ini othern words, the arrangement of. their @operating-surfaces so thaty they? may bea-tha greater distanceasunderattheir'nriddlcsthan at their ends, the whole being substantially in manner and for the purpose as herein described.

2. The arrangement and combination of the connection and bearing-bar G with the rubbersprings g g, the shaft H, and its cams Z l, the Whole being applied to the frame A and its rollers D D as described.

3. The application of each of the bars J J with the frame A by means 0f an adjustable fulcrun1screw 1'., whereby the distances of the bar J and the bearing-head of the screw from the frame A may be increased or diminished as circumstances may require.

4. The arrangement of the shaft L and its cams P P with reference to the rollers D D', the frame A, and the two bars J .I or their equivalents affixed to the said frame.

N. A. RHOADS. Witnesses:

J. G. SMITH, PAUL DILLINGHAM. 

